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Need help with guitar ground wiring! Answered

Earlier this year I bought a super cheap Squier Affinity Telecaster. A couple weeks ago I opened it up to change a tone cap. Every thing seemed fine, all the pickups worked the tone control worked the switch worked and the volume control worked but I noticed that there was quite a bit more buzz and it would stop whenever I touched anything metal on the guitar. Ground problem right? Anyway, I thought I had accidentally snapped the bridge ground wire or the main ground wire (the only ground wires that weren't 7 strand). So I ordered some 7 strand luxe cloth wire and replaced both of the ground wires. I tried the guitar again, the buzz was quieter but was still there and it reacted the same way as it had before when I touched it. The buzz stops when I touch the bridge, anything in contact with the bridge (i.e. strings), and the control plate. The buzz is very faint and the reaction to me touching the guitar is even more faint.

My soldering skills are pretty poor. I think it's likely that my solder joints are the problem but I would also like to know if there are any other possible causes because since the first time I have redone the solder joints a number of times.

If my soldering is the problem what is the best solution to the problem other than connecting myself to the guitar via wire every time I play? And what is the best way to improve my soldering skills for future projects or even this project?

Discussions

Practice your soldering and it will get better. Common problem is not letting the wires get hot enough to melt the solder. You have to melt the solder against the wires not the iron. Wires should be twisted together when possible and the solder is just to keep them from untwisting.

A bad cable can cause buzz. Or a bad jack. Is the shielding (if any) still connected to the ground. Where did you attach the bridge ground to the bridge?

You replaced two of the ground wires but they may not have been the problem.